Colorado Pot Now Possibly Responsible for a Murder

When Richard Kirk allegedly killed his wife, most were quick to blame the length of time between Kristine Kirk's 911 call and the police's arrival. A "law enforcement source" was quick to tell reporters that officers were looking into whether or not Richard ate pot before the shooting.

When Richard Kirk allegedly killed his wife, most were quick to blame the length of time between Kristine Kirk's 911 call and the police's arrival: 15 minutes, despite the fact that she lived just a mile away from a police station.

And while the police department has said it will certainly be investigating its own emergency response times, a "law enforcement source" was quick to tell reporters that officers were looking into whether or not Richard ate pot before the shooting. The Denver PD has never been a fan of Colorado's marijuana laws, saying they made the city "like the wild, wild West" for drug dealers.

Richard Kirk, possible pot killer (AP)

Now, just a few weeks after "marijuana intoxication" was a contributing condition in a man's accidental death, the state may have its first marijuana-related homicide since Colorado legalized the drug for recreational use at the beginning of this year.

According to search warrants released today, Kristine said on the 911 call (the audio of which has not been released) that her husband was hallucinating and recently purchased and ate marijuana candy. He can allegedly be heard talking about pot candy in the background. Receipts for something called "Karma Kandy Orange Ginger" and "Pre 98 Bubba Kush Pre-Roll" were found.

The pot alarmistDenver Post has already written its editorial encouraging stronger regulations for marijuana edibles (first sentence: "This is big, Colorado"). It certainly would be nice for the Denver PD if it could blame pot for Kristine's murder instead of its own poor response time.

Kristine also said her husband may have taken prescription medication, but no one seems to be paying much attention to that.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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